experienced a reduction in pain
45%
experienced an improvement in quality of sleep
51%
of warriors report moderate or severe pain
76%
of warriors self-reported sleep problems
80%
Our Impact
The Need
WWP empowers warriors to adopt healthier lifestyles by providing nutritional education and coaching and helping them along their path to fitness with group physical activities, adaptive sports, goal setting, and skill building.
Physical Health & Wellness
Independence Program
Financial Wellness
Government Affairs
Community Partnerships
Connection
Mental Health
Physical Health
Read Beth's story
Wounded Warrior
Beth King
Wounded Warrior
Tim Aponte
Read Tim's story
said they feel socially connected to their peers after participating in Alumni Connection Program events
96%
virtual and in-person events
4,400+
of warriors report that they often feel isolated
78%
Our Impact
The Need
Through the Alumni Connection Program events, WWP helps wounded warriors, their families, and caregivers build stronger support networks, and enhances their mental wellness by engaging them in social events, support groups, and other opportunities to connect with each other in their communities.
Connection
Wounded Warrior
Bill Geiger
Read Bill's story
hours of treatment provided for PTSD, traumatic brain injury, substance use disorder, and military sexual trauma
66,300+
of warriors experienced fewer PTSD symptoms after receiving treatment through Warrior Care Network®
70%
of warriors report experiencing PTSD as a result of their service
76%
Our Impact
The Need
WWP knows that many wounds are invisible and can arise years after service. We help warriors, their families, and caregivers improve mental and emotional wellness, which enhances their quality of life, increases resilience, and puts them in a position to thrive.
Mental Health
WWP Women Warriors join together to advocate at the 2023 Women Warriors Summit in Washington, DC
Learn more
Using warriors’ feedback and insights, we advocate for veteran policies and initiatives that make a real difference, improving the lives of millions of veterans, family members, and caregivers.
Government & Community Relations
During the week of September 18, more than 50 WWP women warriors from across the country traveled to Washington, DC, to participate in the 2023 Women Warriors Summit. The summit was an opportunity for women warriors to connect with fellow veterans and meet with key government leaders to advocate for legislation to improve the lives of our nation’s women veterans.
2023 Women Warriors Summit & Report
Wounded Warrior
Philip Krabbe
Read Philip's story
career coaching services provided, resulting in 1,500+ warriors and family members achieving employment
63,800+
indicate not having enough money to make ends meet at some point in last 12 months
64%
Our Impact
The Need
WWP supports warriors and their families in building a foundation of financial wellness through employment readiness and placement, education and receipt of earned benefits, emergency financial assistance, improved financial management skills, and care for their overall mental well-being.
Financial Wellness
Wounded Warrior
Josh Sommers
Read Josh's story
hours of in-home and local care provided to the most catastrophically injured warriors, helping them live more independent lives for as long as possible
241,800+
of warriors need aid and assistance from another person due to service-connected injuries or health problems and need an average of 55 hours of care per week
31%
Our Impact
The Need
Through its Independence Program, WWP provides long-term support for warriors with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and neurological conditions — injuries that often leave these warriors needing help from caregivers daily.
Independence Program
Learn more
WWP invests in best-in-class organizations to complement its programs and services and build a collaborative support network. This work is vital to building robust and resilient veteran families and communities.
In 2023, the WWP Community Partnerships & Investments team reinforced our programmatic efforts and expanded our impact by investing in 39 like-minded military and veteran support organizations. We believe no single organization can meet the needs of wounded, ill, and injured veterans alone. By collaborating with other military and veteran support organizations, we amplify the effects of our efforts. Our investments and unfunded partnerships in the military and veteran community fill gaps in our programs and reinforce our existing efforts.
Community Partnerships & Investments
Community Partner Organizations
At another event, he learned about Warrior Care Network and soon began receiving treatment for his post-traumatic stress disorder and TBI. “It was life-changing.” says Tim. For him, one of the most uncomfortable parts of the program — having to do things that took him out of his comfort zone — ended up being one of the most rewarding.
Now, his mission is to find ways to use what he’s learned to help other veterans recover. Today, Tim is a WWP Peer Support Group leader, where he shares his story and encourages others to do the same. “It’s given me purpose, direction, and motivation,” says Tim. “I didn’t have somebody to guide me or give me good advice — somebody to say, ‘Hey, I got you.’ I want to be that person for others, so they know they’re not alone.”
Warrior Story: Tim Aponte
Tim Aponte loved serving in the U.S. Army. “You had total strangers banding together, willing to watch each other’s backs,” says Tim. “It was something I would never trade for anything else.” Then, just 53 days before he was scheduled to return home, a rocketpropelled grenade exploded near him, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), internal shrapnel injuries, and a broken back. Tim struggled as much with the loss of camaraderie as he did with the painful recovery from his injuries. Instead of feeling at home, he felt alone and fell into a downward spiral. He ended up homeless, living in a shelter, and considering taking his own life.
That’s when Tim decided to make a change. He immersed himself in college and sought help through the VA. After four years, a WWP event finally gave him a glimpse of what was possible...
Warrior Story: Bill Geiger
His first breakthrough came during a multi-day mental health workshop called Project Odyssey®. ‘‘Engaging with other wounded service members who understood how I felt without saying a word was comforting and enlightening,’’ says Bill. ‘‘I realized if other warriors could learn to live with and control their post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), then so can I.’’ Bill also made significant progress thanks to Warrior Care Network.
Through his involvement with WWP, Bill has also found a new purpose — helping other warriors. He shares his story to help others realize it’s a sign of strength to ask for help. “Every time I’m around warriors, I think, ‘wow, they’re still at it,’” says Bill. “They’re still alive. They’re still giving back to the community. They’re still raising a beautiful family. On the really bad days, it gives you a glimmer of hope to know that somebody else survived just as bad of a day.”
When Bill Geiger returned to civilian life after two deployments with the United States Army, he was a changed man. His service in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Camp Bucca, Iraq, guarding high-value detainees, deteriorated the formerly vibrant man his wife, Sara, once knew. ‘‘I knew something was wrong the first time I hugged him after coming back,’’ says Sara. ‘‘His joy for life was gone, replaced by a depressed, anxious, shorttempered recluse.’’ Then one day, Bill saw an email Sara had left open on their computer; it was to their pastor and said, in part: ‘‘If I had known Bill was going to be like this, I never would have married him.’’ Bill finally surrendered. ‘‘I wasn’t going to lose my wife,’’ says Bill. ‘‘I knew I needed help to learn how to fix this thing.’’
Bill sought help at the Vet Center and the Department of Veterans Affairs before finding WWP...
Beth also began to experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. She fell into depression and struggled to leave her house. But after nearly four years of not being physically active, she decided in 2016 that it was up to her to make the most of her new situation, so she took up cycling to build her strength. Two years later, she participated in her first Soldier Ride, which changed her world. “It was the first time I had done anything independently since my injury,” says Beth.
Beth’s next mission was to educate people about the importance of seeking treatment as soon as an injury occurs. “I believe that waiting amplified the effects of my injury,” says Beth. “Now I truly believe there is nothing I set my mind to that I will not be able to figure out how to do.”
In 2011, while deployed to Afghanistan, Beth’s helicopter took a direct hit from a rocket-propelled grenade. Beth fell out of the hatch and dangled in the air from her backstrap until the pilots could make a hard landing. Because she had no visible wounds, she was sent back out on another flight just four days later. “I felt devastated, and I asked for help,” says Beth. “But the military is mission-driven, so if you looked like you could work, you worked.”
Hanging from her backstrap had caused trauma to her spine, and the explosion and shock wave left her with a traumatic brain injury. “I had 24/7 pain in my head,” says Beth. “I was foggy and couldn’t understand things. After a few months, I started having a hard time walking. After 18 months, I finally started getting treatment.” ...
Warrior Story: Beth King
With everything else going on, working on a financial plan seemed irrelevant, but Philip knew it was time to do something different. He wanted to get sober and change his future.
In 2019, Philip found Wounded Warrior Project, and he began making strides with his mental health. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to work, and his disability pay didn’t cover his bills. At times, the additional financial stress threatened his recovery.
With help from the WWP Financial Wellness team, Philip was able to alleviate a lot of his financial concerns. “It was a life-changer,” Phillip said. “If a veteran is struggling, they need to call Wounded Warrior Project. Tell them what you’re going through. That’s how it starts.”
Financial wellness was just one of the things warrior Philip Krabbe struggled with when he got out of the military. While a Marine platoon sergeant in Iraq, a roadside bomb killed two members of his platoon and an interpreter. Philip returned home with survivor’s guilt and other invisible wounds.
During his transition to civilian life, Philip struggled with his mental health and turned to drugs and alcohol to mask his feelings. It got so bad that his family’s finances got to a very bad place.
“I was having nightmares every night,” Philip said. “I was to the point where I was drinking, and I wouldn’t get drunk. I started doing drugs to keep me awake at night, so I wouldn’t have any nightmares. I was physically tired. I was mentally and emotionally tired.” ...
Warrior Story: Philip Krabbe
Josh not only began meeting veterans who understood his struggles and could share stories of recovery, he’s also gotten active in ways he never thought he could.
In 2014 — just a few short years after Lisa had been told her son may never come out of his coma — Josh walked an entire mile at an event in Cleveland, aided only by a walker and the cheers of the crowd.
His new goal is to be fully mobile and to learn Braille. Most of all, he wants other veterans to know hope is out there. “What happened, happened,” says Josh. “I don’t regret joining the military. Not for a second. I wanted to do my country a service. Now, I want to inspire people. Hopefully, people look at me and say, ‘If this guy can do it, I can do it.’”
Josh Sommers was only four months into his 2010 deployment to Afghanistan when he was severely wounded by a rocket-propelled grenade. Upon waking up after eight months in a coma, doctors told Josh he would never walk or talk again.
It was the start of a new life for Josh and his mother, Lisa Hopkins. She became a full-time caregiver and Josh a full-time patient. Although he remains partially blind, deaf, and paralyzed on the left side, with his effort and Lisa’s around-the-clock care, he has already rewritten his diagnosis. “For a while there, it was looking like I was going to be incapacitated my whole life,” says Josh. “But what I’ve learned is that I can’t give up.”
The family found some semblance of normalcy when Lisa learned about the Wounded Warrior Project Independence Program...
Warrior Story: Josh Sommers
Community Partner Organizations
